Determination of Physicochemical Parameters and Snail Distribution in Selected Water Bodies in Mubi, Adamawa State, Nigeria

Study on the physicochemical parameters associated with distribution of snails in Mubi, Adamawa State, Nigeria was carried out to determine the physicochemical parameters that influence snail abundance and diversity. Freshwater has their medical importance, animals acquire these infections through repeated grazing on contaminated vegetation, the snails are considered to be intermediate host because snail harbor the asexual stage of the parasite. The study was conducted in the Mubi metropolis of Adamawa State, north of the Greenwich Meridian. The water sampling exercise was conducted twice a week, early in the morning, over a period of three months, to capture any temporal and spatial variations in water quality. Water parameters were carried out by standard protocol. Freshwater snails were collected from lentic and lotic freshwater bodies within the study together with water samples using a combination of sampling techniques to ensure a representative sample. 1,282 freshwater snail samples were collected from sampling sites, the distribution and abundance of snail shows that Bulinus species were more abundant and widely distributed across the study area with the value of 81.2%, the least abundance species was Lymnaea spp 7.2%. Effect of physicochemical parameters on distribution and abundance of snail in the study area revealed positive correlation between the parameters and the snail species abundance and distribution. The findings also indicate the physicochemical parameters (Turbidity, pH, Temperature, Dissolve oxygen, Iodine, Fluoride and Sanlity) have positive correlation that exist between the parameters and the snails, as the level of physicochemical parameters increase, there is a corresponding increase in snail species abundance and distribution.